Scheduled MonumentsEnglandLinear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down

Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down

England
List entry 1018431
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1018431
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
8.36 hectares
Grid reference
SU 06176 69626, SU 05167 69600
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down is a Bronze Age monument consisting of a substantial linear bank with ditch that divides the downland landscape, likely serving as a territorial boundary or stock control feature. The earthwork runs across Cherhill Down in Wiltshire and forms part of a wider field system characteristic of Bronze Age agricultural organisation on chalk downland. The monument dates to the Bronze Age period and reflects the landscape management practices of communities inhabiting the Wessex chalk downs during this era. The preservation of the earthwork and its associated field remains provides evidence of settlement patterns and land use in prehistoric Wiltshire.

Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1018431. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down?

Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down is a Bronze Age monument consisting of a substantial linear bank with ditch that divides the downland landscape, likely serving as a territorial boundary or stock control feature. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1018431.

Who is responsible for protecting Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down?

Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1018431.

What other scheduled monuments are near Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rybury camp (5.8 km), All Cannings Cross, an Early Iron Age settlement site (6.2 km), Earthwork enclosure on Milk Hill (6.6 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down

Linear boundary earthwork and associated field system on Cherhill Down stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.